Chief Architect Help Database - Article Number: 965
How to Create a Cutout for Doors in Concrete Walls
The information in this article applies to:- Chief Architect X5
- Chief Architect X4
When I place doors into a concrete garage curb, stem wall, or pony wall I typically make the opening in the concrete larger than the door's framed rough opening. How can I do this in Chief Architect?
You can specify the desired size of a door's concrete cutout and then modify the framing around the door manually in a few simple steps.
To specify the default concrete cutout size for doors
- Open the plan in which you'd like to specify the size of the concrete cutout for a door.
- In this example, a simple rectangular garage structure with a stem wall foundation is used.
- In this example, a simple rectangular garage structure with a stem wall foundation is used.
- Select Edit> Default Settings
from the menu.
In the Default Settings dialog, expand the Doors category, then select Garage Door and click the Edit button . - On the General tab of the Garage Door Defaults dialog
- Specify the amount to add to Each Side of the door opening when the upper part of the door is in a framed wall and the lower part is located in a concrete wall, stem wall, or garage curb.
- Uncheck Show in Plan to suppress the display of the concrete cutout in floor plan view.
- In this example, 4 1/2" is used, which will accomodate a king stud on each side of garage doors plus two trimmers on each side.
- Specify the amount to add to Each Side of the door opening when the upper part of the door is in a framed wall and the lower part is located in a concrete wall, stem wall, or garage curb.
- Click OK to close the Garage Door Defaults dialog, then click Done to close the Default Settings dialog.
Note that the Add for Concrete Cutout setting is not a dynamic default, so these changes will not affect any garage doors already present in your plan.
If you already placed doors in your plan that require a concrete cutout, you will need to edit their Add for Concrete Cutout value in their Door Specification dialogs.
To edit a framing around a door
- If you have not done so already, generate wall framing in the plan.
- Select Build> Framing> Build Framing
from the menu, and on the Wall tab of the Build Framing dialog, check the box beside Build Wall Framing and click OK.
- A Question message may ask if you want to display wall framing. Click Yes to turn on the "Framing, Walls" layer in floor plan view, or No to leave it turned off. Regardless of your choice, wall framing will be built.
- Select Build> Framing> Build Framing
- Click the Select Objects
button, then click on the door to select it and click the Open Object
edit button. On the General tab of the Door Specification dialog:
- Add the Top and Bottom values under Add for Rough Opening to the Height of the door and make a note of the total. This total is the length that the door trimmers need to be to reach from the header down through the concrete cutout to the floor.
- In this example, the total for the hinged door is 83", and the total for the garage door is 99".
- Add the Top and Bottom values under Add for Rough Opening to the Height of the door and make a note of the total. This total is the length that the door trimmers need to be to reach from the header down through the concrete cutout to the floor.
- Next, click on the wall that has a door with framing that you want to edit to select it and click the Open Wall Detail
edit button.
- Select one of the hinged door's trimmers and click the Open Object
- Click the radio button beside Lock End to prevent the top edge of the selected trimmer from moving.
- Specify the Length as the total noted for the hinged door in step 2, above.
- Click OK to close the dialog and apply your change.
- Click the radio button beside Lock End to prevent the top edge of the selected trimmer from moving.
- Notice that the selected trimmer is now longer than the others.
- Repeat step 5 to lengthen all of the trimmers as needed.
- Select Edit> Snap Settings
from the menu and make sure that Object Snaps
are enabled.
- Click on a king stud to select it, then use the edit handle located at its lower end to extend it until it snaps to the end of the trimmer next to it.
- Repeat step 8 to lengthen all of the king studs.
- Resize each of the bottom plates so they snap to the outsides of the king studs.
- Save
your work, close
the Wall Detail window, and create a Framing Overview
to see the results.
You can also specify the size of the concrete cutout for windows.
For more information about door and window framing, see Article #985: How to control door and window framing.
Last updated on: Mar 29, 2013
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